"The Ethics of Visual Rhetoric & Photo Manipulation"

About the Author

Amber McDonnell is a second-year master's student in Auburn University's technical and professional communication program. Her principal academic interests are rhetoric and ethics in new media. Additionally, she teaches English composition as a graduate assistant and enjoys finding ways to incorporate new media in the classroom. When she isn't attending class or teaching, she enjoys taking photos, cooking, and playing with her rescue dog, Eddie.

Contents

Introduction

Methods

Scenario

Scenario (Cont.)

Analysis: Visual Rhetoric

Analysis: Ethical Scope

Analysis: Ethical Theories

Discussion

Conclusion

Works Cited

 Conclusion

While judgment in the case of BP’s manipulation of photos relies heavily on hypotheticals, the aim of this case study has been to highlight the complexity of ethical decision-making in the field of technical communication. It may never be clear what the corporation’s intentions were in doctoring the photos, but it is clear that other measures should have been taken in the face of immense pressure. Had BP released the original photos, perhaps the public would have accepted them, along with the concurrent efforts to stop the wellhead leak, and eased off a bit in condemning the company and its response efforts. Alternatively, the company could have refrained from releasing images at all, and claimed that they were more intent on actually repairing damage to the Gulf rather than their own public image. Of these choices, the latter seems to balance ethical responsibility to provide accurate and honest information and the rhetorical choices concomitant with acting on the corporation’s behalf.

The takeaway for technical communicators is twofold: first, we should use well-considered ethical decision-making to check powerful, persuasive rhetorical claims in our work; and second, we should not take such decision-making lightly, nor should we dismiss any decision as simple, especially when we find ourselves under pressure from clients, employers, and/or the public. While manipulating photos for aesthetic purposes is something to be valued in our field, it should not be prioritized over the honest and accurate delivery of information. Photographs, illustrations, charts, and graphs are all mediated in some way in technical documents, whether by technological capabilities or by human manipulation.

Ethical delivery of visual rhetoric is complicated. The technical communicator is no longer the technical writer; we are now web developers, document designers, usability specialists, and content managers among other things. The professionalization of our field is another issue entirely. However, the changing role of the technical communicator is accompanied by a change in agency. If we are making content decisions, creating and altering graphics, choosing typefaces, designing websites (or creating a brand), we are accumulating more and more power in our roles as communicators. As technical communicators with such power, we have a responsibility to mediate reality in such a way that we are not altering it or deceiving our audience. If we understand this responsibility, and realize it through our own work, we may stand to gain ethical unification and influence not only in our own field, but in connection with other professions as well.